Teriyaki rice with tofu. Arugula and chickpea salad. Tazo tea and a peanut butter–chocolate chip cookie. For Claire Askew CAS '13, this is a typical lunch on campus. It's also made entirely without animal products—yes, even the cookie.

Askew (pronounced "ask you") is the author of Generation V: The Complete Guide to Going, Being, and Staying Vegan as a Teenager (Tofu Hound Press, 2008). A soon-to-be-sophomore at Lewis & Clark, Askew became a vegetarian shortly before her 15th birthday after talking with a vegetarian friend and researching the treatment of animals in modern industrial agriculture. A few months later, after more research, Askew stopped eating dairy and eggs, and now she avoids all animal products.

In Generation V, Askew makes a case for veganism on ethical grounds. Drawing on agriculture industry reports, she describes the distress of dairy cows when their calves are taken away, the confinement of veal calves, and the disposal of male chicks by suffocation or maceration. (The male chickens are useless to the poultry industry because the genetic strain for laying chickens is designed to produce eggs, not meat.) "When I thought deeply about why I became a vegetarian, being vegan was the next logical step," Askew says.

The book is for teens thinking about becoming vegan, new vegans, and those who have been vegan for a while but want more help or inspiration. Claire Askew '13

For ethical vegans, avoiding animal products combats speciesism, the idea that "animals have no interests of their own and are only here to serve humans," as Askew writes in Generation V. She explains, "Seeing someone—including an animal—as other is a way to justify taking whatever you can from them. That thinking forms the basis for sexism and racism." Like other advocates for animal rights, Askew compares the commodification of animals to black slavery and the oppression of women.

Generation V is a comprehensive guide to veganism. "I included everything I wish I'd known about being vegan as a teen," Askew says. "The book is for teens thinking about becoming vegan, new vegans, and those who have been vegan for a while but want more help or inspiration."

According to Askew, vegan teens face different challenges than vegan adults. Parents often consider veganism a phase, are reluctant to change their cooking habits, or feel rejected when their vegan teen refuses to eat favorite foods. Askew encourages teens to explain their reasons for being vegan calmly and to offer to help with shopping and cooking. "The dinner table is never the place to get angry or give a lecture," she writes.

While stressing that veganism is about more than avoiding animal products, Generation V debunks the notion that vegans eat "salad for breakfast, nothing for lunch, and scraped-off side dishes for dinner." The book includes vegan recipes for such favorites as chili, nachos, and brownies. Askew suggests breakfast, lunch, and dinner options and includes a list of vegan cookbooks. She also devotes a chapter to health and nutrition, including sources of calcium, iron, and protein and tips for addressing parental concerns.

Askew's emphasis on the variety and pleasure of eating vegan grew from her struggles to find delicious meals in her hometown. Askew hails from Kansas City, Kansas, a city associated with cattle drives and barbecue. When she became vegan, she joined a group of local vegans for support and inspiration. "It was 10 to 20 people," she says. In her hometown, restaurant choices were limited: "There was one vegetarian restaurant and one completely vegan restaurant, but the vegan restaurant closed."

I'm delighted to be at a school where I can feel at home, in this and many other ways. Claire Askew '13

Askew says her decision to attend Lewis & Clark was easy, not just because of the college's academic reputation but also due to its location in vegan-friendly Portland. "There's a vegan mini mall here," Askew notes. The mall, at Southeast 12th Avenue and Stark Street, includes a bakery, grocery store, clothing store, and tattoo parlor (some tattoo inks are made with animal products). Favorite restaurants include Vita and Blossoming Lotus. On campus, Lewis & Clark food service provider Bon Appétit offers vegan options, from tofu tagine with couscous to falafel with hummus, at every meal. The cafeteria occasionally hosts vegan theme days, serving dishes such as mock ribs, cashew cheese, and corn salad with cilantro and lime. "I'm delighted to be at a school where I can feel at home, in this and many other ways," Askew says.

For Askew, writing Generation V is a step on her journey to promote ethical consumption. "I believe in using whatever your talents are," Askew says. "My talent is writing, so I wrote a book." The book includes tips for vegan activism, from leafleting to sporting vegan T-shirts to "culinary activism" (e.g., serving vegan food at parties). Askew says, "A lot of people perceive activism as holding a sign and going to protests. Setting a good example in day-today living is way more effective." Her blog, at Generation V, aims to combat the image of vegans as "crusty hippies with bland, repetitive diets." With wit and practical advice, Askew shows teens that vegans are "normal people who have hobbies and might even like to bake." According to Askew, Generation V's members enjoy life (and a few vegan cupcakes), stay healthy, and just might change the world.

Nicolle Rager Fuller B.S. '99 combines her interests in science and art to give readers a new perspective on Darwin's On the Origin of Species.

Imagine sailing with Charles Darwin on the HMS Beagle in the 1830s; puzzling with him over the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils; and watching him synthesize his ideas into a coherent theory that would forever change the world of science.

Nicolle Rager Fuller makes this journey possible. She illustrated Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation (with author Michael Keller; Rodale Books, 2009). The book transforms Darwin's 1859 classic, along with excerpts from the English naturalist's letters and field notes, into a graphic novel.

The book is aimed at younger readers but has appeal for readers of all ages and cultures. To date, it is available in Dutch, Korean, Turkish, and Indonesian as well as English. Keller and Fuller place Darwin's discoveries in historical and cultural context and show how he and his scientific contemporaries influenced one another.

From the beginning, Fuller understood the magnitude of illustrating Darwin's foundational work. "In some ways, On the Origin of Species is a sacred text," she says. "It also has the potential to offend some people. I worked hard to keep it accurate but still interesting."

Working primarily digitally while emulating an ink and watercolor style, Fuller created a thousand illustrations for the book. She uses a pressure-sensitive monitor that allows her to draw directly on the screen, translating her traditional training to a digital format. In On the Origin of Species, her delicate, warm imagery evokes a naturalist's sketchbook. She created the book's font based on her own handwriting.

Fuller's approach has caught the eye of critics. On the Origin of Species was nominated for two 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards in the categories of Best Adaptation from Another Work and Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art). "The Eisners are the Oscars of the graphic book world," says Fuller.

When I started working in science, I was amazed by how much creativity it takes. Thinking differently is what leads to discovery. Nicolle Rager Fuller B.S. '99

On the Origin of Species is Fuller's first graphic novel but hardly her first published effort. Her scientific illustrations have appeared in Science News magazine, Scientific American, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. She also heads her own firm, Sayo Art.

Fuller's career combines her lifelong interests in science and art. "My parents encouraged both," she says. "When I was a kid, they enrolled me in drawing classes, and they both did science projects with me."

Fuller grew up in Bellingham, Washington, and considers herself a "West Coaster" despite currently living in Washington, D.C. She majored in biochemistry at Lewis & Clark but also took drawing and ceramics classes. "Art became my stress relief," she says. Her choice of major was partly influenced by her regard for Janis Lochner, Pamplin Professor of Science and chair of the biochemistry and molecular biology program, who served as her advisor. "The chemistry faculty, including Associate Professor Barbara Balko, were very supportive of my mixed interests," Fuller says. "I'm still thankful for that." In the art department, Ted Vogel in the ceramics program and Debra Beers in the drawing program also encouraged her efforts. "Professor Beers thought my weird combo of interests made a lot of sense. Intense observation is crucial in both art and science," says Fuller.

After college, Fuller briefly considered a career in art therapy and then worked in a science lab at Oregon Health & Science University. But when she discovered the science illustration program at the University of California at Santa Cruz, she knew she had found her calling.

Fuller finds that her art and science backgrounds complement each other. "When I started working in science, I was amazed by how much creativity it takes," she says. "Thinking differently is what leads to discovery." She finds that her science background allows her to ask informed questions and to understand technical articles in journals. "An illustrator with an exclusively artistic background might need to work harder at understanding the science," she says.

Fuller can also consult her husband, Jason Fuller, an entomologist who chairs the biology department at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus of Montgomery College in Maryland. "He's my sounding board for content," she says. "Over the course of my career, he's learned to be my art critic."

Though the book is Fuller's first, it may not be her last. "I'd like to do an entire book, writing and all," she says. She also has two brothers who write: Matt Rager, who is completing a Ph.D. in literature at Yale, and Adam Rager CAS '11, an English major at Lewis & Clark. Fuller would also love to illustrate a children's book. "I've tasked my brothers to help me with that when we all have time."

In illustrating Darwin's On the Origin of Species, Fuller aimed to evoke "the excitement of finding things out." Her goal was give readers a new perspective on a classic work and perhaps, like all good scientists artists, help spark some entirely new ideas.